The present invention relates to a laminated wood-based fibrous web in which a wood-based fibrous web base is laminated with scrim. The present invention also relates to a molded article formed of such a laminated web and a process for manufacturing the molded article.
FIGS. 8, 9, 10a and 10b show one example of a conventional wood-based fibrous web 102 for a door trim board 101 as a molded article. The fibrous web 102 is formed of a fiber composition prepared by mixing wood pulp (fibers or fiber bundles produced by mechanically grinding a log of wood or chemically processing wood chips) and synthetic fibers such as polyester fibers and by adding a binder such as phenolic resin to this mixture. The wood-based fibrous web 102 is molded into the door trim board 101 by a compression molding operation. In the compression molding operation, the fibrous web 102 is arranged in a mold cavity formed between a pair of compression molding dies 121a and 121b and is molded into a desired configuration at the temperature of about 220.degree. C., as shown in FIG. 10a.
In the wood-based fibrous web 102 thus formed, the intertwining power established between the wood fibers and the synthetic fibers is so small that it lacks extensibility for easy flexing. Consequently, as shown in FIGS. 9, 10a and 10b, the fiber density of the wood-based fibrous web 102 may be extremely reduced at an edge portion 105, a sharply curved portion 106 and other portions when it is compression molded into the door trim board 101. This may produces "lack of hiding 107 (slightly magnified for illustrative purposes)" and "cracks (not shown)" on the formed door trim board 101 at such portions.
Further, the wood-based fibrous web 102 thus formed may easily release the wood fibers therefrom. The released wood fibers tend to adhere to the surface of the mold cavity of the compression molding die 121 during compression molding procedure. This may require much working time for maintenance of the die 121.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,865,788, issued to Davis, on Sep. 12, 1989, discloses a laminated wood-based fibrous web which may effectively inhibit formation of "lack of hiding" and "cracks".
As shown in FIG. 11, the laminated web 204 of this patent is constituted of a wood-based fibrous web base 202 and scrim 203 laminated on the surface (lower surface) of the fibrous web base 202. The wood-based fibrous web base 202 is formed of a fiber composition prepared by mixing wood pulp and synthetic fibers and by adding a binder resin to this mixture as is practiced in the prior art. The scrim 203 is made of a thin sheet of non-woven synthetic fabric. The fibrous web base 202 is finally mechanically bound or locked to the scrim 203 by needling operation using a needling machine having numerous needles 217. As will be appreciated, the needling operation may intertwine the fibers of the web base 202 and the scrim 203 to interlock between the fibrous web base 202 and the scrim 203.
The laminated web 204 thus formed exhibits a superior extensibility during the compression molding operation for forming a molded article such as a door trim board 201. However, the needling operation applied to such a web 204 considerably damages the scrim 203 to loosen the fibers thereof. Such loose fibers may easily raise from the surface of the scrim 203 to form irregular "fluff" 203a on the scrim 203 when the door trim board 201 is finished by abrasive paper to smooth the surface thereof. This may lead undesirable awkward appearance of the door trim board 201.